"I write because I find humor in the absurdities of daily life. Sometimes I feel sadness too, and I find I can write my tears away. I write when I'm angry and feel I must right a wrong. I write when I'm touched and want others to see beauty and gentleness. I write, as many others do, because I must." -Elaine Fantle Shimberg

Two Decades and Wash Loads of Love Later + Blog Giveaway (Winner Announced)

This 2013 marks my, and my husband’s 20th year of marriage. Looking back, I realized that I’ve also been washing clothes for my family for the past 20 years! From just two persons, we have grown to include four precious boys who continue to bring us joy and make us proud parents every day.

Family group photos from 1999 - 2012

Over the years, I’ve experienced washing clothes by machine and sometimes by hand when our washing machine would break down and take time to be repaired or replaced. Seldom do I entrust clothes washing to others. Anyhow, we’ve been maid-free (and stress-free from house helper-related problems) for more than five years now so it’s really up to me to ensure that my family of six has clean clothes all the time.

We used to have a fully-automatic washing machine, which made doing the laundry much easier. Unfortunately, it gave up working after more than 10 years. We went back to the semi-automatic type a few years ago as, at the time, we didn’t have a lot of budget to buy the pricier and more high-tech ones.

It’s quite bittersweet though to notice that many of the tiny clothes I used to put in the wash have now become heavy jeans and large shirts with manly smells. Only one kid’s clothes remained small – those worn by our child with special needs. Whereas his brothers have outgrown their tops and bottoms without the colors fading, James’ shirts and pajamas would last for years before we can shift to slightly bigger ones.

Sometimes, I can’t help but feel sad about how he will probably never grow up as big as his brothers nor get to wear their big clothes. But I remain grateful that he is still here to remind us every day how precious life is and why we should always treasure each moment that passes by.

Speaking of treasuring time, I have been wanting for so long to get us a really good washing machine that won’t make my head ache every couple months or so. Last week, I learned about the features of the Electrolux Time Manager front load washing machines and I knew one of those would help make laundry time way easier for me so I’m planning to save up for one soon.

Andrea Pionilla, Group Product Manager of Electrolux Philippines, shared that Electrolux’s Time Manager washing machines are fully equipped with the latest technology that will allow home makers to do other chores and spend more time with their family. I'd like to experience that firsthand!

Electrolux's Andrea Pionilla

How? Here are some of the Time Manager’s cool features that I would love to see in the next washing machine I’ll buy for our home:

1. A Load Sensor feature that acts like a built-in weighing scale will guide users to select the perfect cycle and detergent recommendation for each load thus saving you time, energy, and water.

2. The Vapour Action feature that helps remove household allergens in clothes by up to 99.9%. This is great especially if you have allergy-prone loved ones!

3. The Jetspray Wash System which increases water circulation during washes to ensure that laundry will come out spic and span.

4. The Refresh Cycle that relaxes the fibers and steams out the wrinkles in clothes, therefore cutting down on ironing.

5. A Lily Drum Leaf Lifter, designed to ensure soft tumbling of clothes while in the drum, gently lifts laundry while its specially perforated Lily Drum patterns increases surface contact with clothes, enabling dirt and stains to be removed with gentle care.

6. An easy-to-use intuitive panel called IQ Touch which makes instructions and program settings easier to follow. Now that’s what you call user-friendly!

7. The new Time Manager’s Inverter Drive System also comes with a Noise Reduction Pack that minimizes vibration and noise levels to below 50dB for an even quieter wash. It would be nice not to bother the neighbors when you only have time to do the laundry past bedtime!

8. The washing machine’s Sustainable Design further means this is a product brings together the best of functionality, design, and innovation that will have the least possible impact on the environment while maximizing washing performance.

Another good thing about buying an Electrolux product is that customer satisfaction doesn’t end after the purchase. “Our goal is to help new and existing customers get the most of their investment by providing support activities before, during, and after purchasing an Electrolux appliance,” affirms Pionilla.

As part of the commitment to its “Thinking of You” philosophy, Electrolux helps its customers get the most out of their purchases via the newly opened Customer Service Hub, a one stop facility where consumers can buy spare parts or consumable items for Electrolux and White-Westinghouse appliances that you won’t normally find in supermarkets and hardware stores.

Mommies Know Best! Group shot of several moms who blogwith the Electrolux and Fleishman Hillard teams

The Electrolux Customer Service Hub is located at Grundfos Building, 5548 Osmena Highway, Brgy. San Isidro, Makati City. You can also reach the Customer Care Team through wecare@electrolux.com or 845-CARE (2273), 556-7012, 828-1860, and telefax 519-2119.

Electrolux customers in Cebu, on the other hand, can go to Lyfstan Trading & Services at 1209 Clavano St., Capitaol Site, Cebu City or call telefax (6332) 253-3046.

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To thank this blog’s loyal readers, Write, Breathe, Live and Electrolux are giving away a Wash Loads of Love Laundry Set containing: an IKEA silver laundry basket, a set of IKEA children's clothes hangers, a bottle of Surf Liquid Detergent, and a brand new ESI 515 Electrolux steam iron.

2. Leave a comment under this post and share what feature of the Electrolux Time Manager front load washing machine you like best and why.

3. Share this photo on Facebook and copy and paste the following highlighted statement as your status: “Check out the cool features of the new Electrolux Time Manager front load washing machines and get to win a cool #WashLoadsofLove Laundry Set! http://www.mommywrites.blogspot.com/2013/07/two-decades-and-wash-loads-of-love.html" then tag The Little White Book and Write, Breathe, Live. This is what it should look like (sample below):

Make sure your status is set as “Public” so we can see it.

4. Posting of comments and statuses ends on August 18, 11:59PM

5. One winner will be announced one week later to be chosen via a digital draw of all valid names/entries (those who posted a comment on this blog AND posted a status on Facebook) through Random.org. The prize will be sent to him/her by Electrolux via courier.

Edit - September 8, 2013

Congratulations Catherine KJell Buama! You win an Electrolux Wash Loads of Love Laundry Set! Please PM me your complete address and contact number via the Write, Breathe, Live FB fan page. Sorry for the delayed announcement. All bloggers who hosted the same contest had to submit names of winners to Electrolux first to make sure that there are no duplicate names.

Who is:

I am a contributing writer to various Philippine print and online publications. I blog because I enjoy writing about other topics that are not assigned by my editors. I'm a mom of four boys and wife to a man I consider my bestest friend in the world.

"I write because I find humor in the absurdities of daily life. Sometimes I feel sadness too, and I find I can write my tears away. I write when I'm angry and feel I must right a wrong. I write when I'm touched and want others to see beauty and gentleness. I write, as many others do, because I must." -Elaine Fantle Shimberg